Science Diet vs Royal Canin for Shih Tzu?

Question

So I've read around previous answers regarding Science Diet and Royal Canin and I just can't make up my mind which food I should use for my Shih Tzu. My shih tzu is on Science Diet and Science Diet seems like a pretty good brand. But then again Royal Canin seems especially interesting because it caters specifically to Shih Tzus. What should I do?

Answer 1

Royal Canine is far better than Science Diet.. I prefer Canidae.

Answer 2

Roayal Canin is a bunch of bull! Different breeds do not need dog foods made specifically for them. Size and age have more to do with what to feed. I would feed a good small breed food. Science diet is a pretty good food. I feed Nutro, but science diet is just as good if not better. Royal Canin only has different formulas for specific breed for marketing purposed. Notice the breed-specific dog foods are only for the most popular dogs? German Shepherd, lab, yorkie, chihuahua, shih tzu, bulldog, dachshund, and poodle, boxer. Look at the list of the top dog breeds in the US and you'll see they're all on it. Here's a list of the top 12 breeds from the AKC website for comparison:

**1 Retrievers (Labrador)
**2 Yorkshire Terriers
**3 German Shepherd Dogs
4 Retrievers (Golden)
5 Beagles
**6 Dachshunds
**7 Boxers
**8 Poodles
**9 Shih Tzu
10 Miniature Schnauzers
**11 Chihuahuas
**12 Bulldogs

Answer 3

I have shih-tzus currently and feed Eukanuba small breed but more recently I have been mixing in Royal Canin Shih-tzu. I haven't seen any changes/differences yet. Science Diet is a good brand but in some dogs it can produce dry skin and lots Of stool! It is high in fiber. I would slowly switch over to Royal Canin and see how they do.

Answer 4

Both of those foods are garbage in my opinion. The Royal Canin doesn't seem quite as bad as Science Diet but there are a lot of byproducts (read "cheap with no nutritional value") in it and I personally don't give my dogs anything with corn or wheat.

Canidae is an excellent product and is what I feed my dogs.

You can find a lot of information through The Dog Food Project on what makes a good dog food.

Answer 5

Neither of the foods are that good but between the two Royal Canin is a bit better.

You can do even better by getting a quality meat based food instead of feeding grain based foods full of cheap fillers. Dogs are carnivores...meat eaters, not grain eaters. Foods should have meat as at least the first 2-3 ingredients and should NOT contain corn, wheat, soy, beet pulp. It also takes up to 3 times more of a grain based food for a dog to get proper nutrition then it does a good quality meat based food.

Some good choices:
Canidae, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Innova, Wellness, California Natural, Solid Gold just to name a few.

Answer 6

science diet royal canin shih tzu

Answer 7

I've heard too many complaints about Science Diet. My vet recommended Royal Canin for my Chihuahuas, and they love it. It is a much better food.

Answer 8

My Yorkie puppy is in love with Royal Canin! Not to mention it is FAR better then Science Diet.

Science Diet is full of garbage and nothing close to real meat. (Or good meat that is)

I was in the same situation, having a hard time deciding on which dog food brands to buy. My veterinarian recommend Royal Canin and explained to me that most dogs brands (Science Diet) is mostly commercial and have no nutrients whatsoever to help the dog.

Answer 9

Science Diet is awful if you ask me. Just because it's "recommended by vets" doesn't mean it's good stuff. It means the vets get paid to push it. I'd go with Royal Canin or Canidae anytime over Science Diet.

Answer 10

Yes, the royal canin is better,

Science diet is actually a crappy food and way overpriced,

I highly recommend reading about how to choose a good food and what ingredients mean, so that you can make good choices to help your dog live healthy and longer

These sites can help teach you a lot about dog food

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

http://dogaware.com/